Boyd underground: Glasgow local edition

05Dec

Okay, so I’m Cubbie today. I’ve got a source who’s asked not to be named. If you know me, it shouldn’t be too hard to find out who it is, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t start harrassing him for any more info. He’s a good guy and has been very gracious in dealing with me at length over the last ten months.

Yes, Boyd is training with Rangers. Yes, Smith is training there, too. Yes, Kenny Miller is there as well. My source tells me it feels a lot like 2009 at the Rangers training grounds.

So, my guy in Glasgow had a chance to chat with Kris for a bit today. Kris is optimistic, says he’s training hard in an attempt to be fully fit and ready to impress Caleb Porter straight off at the Timbers’ training camp in January.

Yeah, that’s not much in the way of an exclusive bit of information, but it tells me this: Boyd wants to be ready for whatever opportunity is afforded him and he’s absolutely planning on being here in January. But, lest the entirety of the Boyd Underground get its collective hopes up, there’s still a lot of time between now and January 19th.

But Kris likes Portland. He likes the passion of the Timbers organization and the culture that surrounds it. If the decision is truly his, that goes a long way for a guy who spent years playing for some of the most passionate soccer supporters in the world.

I hope to hell that the Paulson/Wilkinson brain trust learned some things from the KFC disaster, specifically; that a forward returning to regular play from a layoff often needs a full season to play himself back into form, and that a frontrunning poacher needs good service. The Timbers didn’t give Boydie either one this past season.

You look at the early season strikes Kris made, like those two lovely goals (only one of which counted, curse you, linesman!) against LA away… Well, the bottom line is that the guy can score if you provide good service for him as a certain Mr. Henri & Co. did for Kenny this past season, This FO would be fools to give up on him without at least another season’s opportunity.

I’m hopeful that this Will Johnson kid might be the midfielder we need. And I’m hopeful that Boyd will hang on for another year. After today, I’m hopeful about a lot of things, but that’s how I usually get into trouble.